Never Letting You Go (Being Yours Novella Series Book 1) (7 page)

Chapter 14

1 year of marriage

Cameron

This is hard, really fucking hard, being around Ava all the time and not doing anything about it. I lied, to both her and Becky. I don’t love Ava, but I do like her, a lot. More than a friend. I’ve never looked at this marriage as a way to keep my company. Mostly, it’s been my way of putting my claim on the girl I want, plus I’m hoping it’ll get Becky off my damn back.

I like Becky, I do, but as a family friend. Nothing more than that. I made the mistake a few years back of sleeping with her, and then we kept on with this whole ‘friends with benefits’ thing. Now, I can’t shake her off.

Becky is on this kick now, too, saying once I’m divorced, we can finally be together. What she doesn’t realize is, divorced or not, I’m not going to marry her. Ever.

Ava is in the kitchen chatting with Connie, smiling and laughing, and I feel as if I’ve been hit in the stomach. What I wouldn’t give to throw her over my shoulder and take her up to my room. But after I told Ava our marriage would be in name only, that we’d be best friends, that light, the spark she held for me, seemed to die out.

I lost my chance with her, and that fucking kills. My cell pings with a message, and I see it’s Kimber. I made a date with her last night. It’s not that I even like her, but using my hand isn’t doing it for me. I swear my right arm is going to be huge, while my left stays somewhat scrawny.

After grabbing my coat by the front door, I walk back to the kitchen to say bye to Ava and Connie. “Ladies.” I nod at them when they turn to me with smiles on their faces. “I’m heading out for the night, but if you could both please make some of that homemade ice cream you made me last week, that would be the best thing ever,” I say with a pleading grin.

Ava rolls her eyes at me. “Have fun on your date. But just so you know, if we make that ice cream, it will probably be gone before you get home.” She sends me a smirk. Something about the way she mentioned my date doesn’t sit right with me.

I wish she never overheard Becky and me talking that day. Things would be different. She’d never know about the marriage terms, and she could be under me, or over me, any time I wanted. But when she heard what we were saying, all of the hopes I had with her died.

I just wish I could make her see that I really do want her, and not just in name only.

Chapter 15

Present

Ava

It feels like everyone is against me right now—my parents calling up Cameron, him not giving me a divorce, and then the bastard having me arrested. I don’t understand why this is happening. Does he think he can keep stringing me along while he has Becky, too? Does he get some kind of happiness out of ruining my life?

While lying in bed, I hear movement around the house and the smell of cookies in the oven. Great. Now, Mom is going to try to bribe me with my favorite cookies. Why does she suck so hard right now! Ugh. She knows I can’t pass up cookies, especially her homemade shortbread cookies.

My cell rings, and I grab it out of my purse that’s sitting at the end of my bed. Pulling it out, I see it’s Kristi. I groan answering it. “Hey, Kris.”

“Where are you, chick? You should have been here, like, four hours ago,” she says, sounding confused.

“Yeah, well, there was a problem.” I tell her how Cameron got me pulled over and had me sitting in a jail cell until he picked me up. She bursts out laughing.

“Maybe he’s not the dick I thought he was. Love this.”

My eyes narrow. “Whose side are you on?” I demand.

She laughs. “At the moment, I don’t know. I need more answers to my questions before I make up my mind,” she says. “Shit. Emma just got home, and she’s screeching at Dad about something. I’ll talk to you later, Lynnie.”

I toss my phone on my bedside table. What a traitor. I’ve always taken her side through everything, including when her mom left and when her dad made stupid ass rules about dating. I was with Kristi through her major rebellion, when she wanted to pierce and tattoo every blank spot on her body and dye her hair crazy whacky colors. Yet she’s taking Cameron’s stupid side right now.

Some friend. I grab my phone again and shoot her a text.

I’m pregnant – A

She’ll see that and flip out. I know she will.

I shut my phone off and toss it on my bed. Just as I’m about to lay down for a nap, I smell the cookies again. I get up and go downstairs to the kitchen.

When I see my mom plating some shortbread cookies, I groan. “Are you going to frost those?” I ask her hopefully.

She chuckles. “You know it.”

“I need, like, all of them,” I inform her.

“I know. I made them just for you,” she says, smiling. “Well, have you and Cameron talked yet?” she asks.

“Not really. The big jerk got me arrested. Well, not officially, just held in a holding cell until he got me,” I tell her.

She lets out a snort. “I like him.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “I thought you didn’t. Heck, you even tried to tell me not to marry him.”

Mom sighs and turns to me. “That is true. However, over the years, I’ve seen how he looks at you and you him. I’ve gotten over everything I’ve thought about him in the past. He’s ‘it’ for you, Avalynn. You just need to open your eyes and see it.”

“How can you say this? You’re supposed to be on my side, not his. He got his mistress knocked up, and he only married me for his stupid company shit, anyway,” I spit out at her.

“Ava, open your eyes. You’re only seeing what you want to see, hearing what you want to hear. I thought I raised you to be smart.” She shakes her head.

Ouch.

“Just don’t shut him out completely, not yet.”

I grab the plate of cookies after she frosts them and take them up to my room. Seems like the only person on my side right now is Daddy, and I doubt that will last long once he and Cameron talk, since he’s always liked him.

Cameron

I shut the guest room door after putting my bags away and walk toward where Loretta said the office was. I knock and wait until I hear him say to come in.

Opening it slowly, I peek my head inside. “Uh, hey, Jeff,” I say hesitantly.

His jaw clenches, and he nods. “Cameron, come in. Take a seat, and then you can start with why the fuck you broke my baby’s heart.” I gulp and do as he says.

“I don’t want a divorce from her. I love her,” I tell him.

He narrows his eyes at me. “Then why have you still been playing around with your side piece, huh? You say you love my daughter, but you can’t even remain faithful to her?”

I close my eyes for a moment before responding. “Jeff, once Ava and I went all in on this marriage, I never touched another woman.”

He tilts his head to the side, his dark brown eyes glaring at me. “Explain this then,” he says, throwing the same newspaper that Alana threw at me.

With a sigh, I place it on his desk in front of me. “That was taken out of context. I was summoned to Becky’s father’s house that night. I left, angry, and she followed me. She was upset and I decided to just go get something to eat with her. That’s it. She talked, but I didn’t even pay attention. She felt dizzy when we stepped outside, and she thought she was going to faint. It was instinct to help her. That’s it. There is nothing more to that.”

“The baby yours?”

“Hell no. I know who the father of her baby is, but it’s not mine, that’s for sure. I haven’t touched Becky in years. That’s the truth.”

He stares at me, and for a moment, I fear he’s going to grab his hunting rifle from the cabinet across the room and shoot me. But his face softens. “Well, then, I think you need to go set things right with Avalynn.”

“I’m trying, Jeff. I really am.”

“Well, try harder!” he booms.

I’m starting to get annoyed. “Everyone keeps telling me to try harder. What am I supposed to do, tie her to a chair and make her listen to me?”

“If that’s what it takes.” Jeff shrugs.

“I’ll try, Jeff. That’s all I can promise. Right now, though, the divorce business is over. It’s not happening. Once I tell my lawyer that Ava is pregnant, having my child, the divorce will be shelved until after the baby is born.”

“Well, that gives you lots of time, then,” he says. “Just so you know—if it wasn’t for Ava, you’d be dead.”

I stare at him, a little scared.

“Ava hid my guns. I went hunting a while back, had to borrow a rifle from my buddy. You get talking to Ava, and tell her I need my guns back.”

My eyes widen, and I just nod. 

“Now, I’ve always liked you, but Loretta, not so much,” he tells me, and I have always known that. Although, over the last year, her opinion has obviously changed. “You need to make her listen. I know my Avalynn, she’s stubborn and puts up a good fight, but I have faith that you can make things right again.”

“I’ll leave her alone tonight. She was pretty pissed at me for having her arrested,” I tell him sheepishly.

Jeff bursts out laughing. “See, that’s step one. When Ava gets pissed, she explodes. After she explodes, she calms down and is finally rational enough to hear you out.”

“Good to know.”

I stand up and head to the door.

“If you give up, I’ll be disappointed in you, kid,” he tells me.

“Trust me. I’m not giving up.” And I mean that. I don’t care how long it takes. Ava is my wife, and she is carrying my child. I’m not giving them up, ever.

Chapter 16

1 year, 2 months of marriage

Cameron

I’m so fucking pissed. Ava has a fucking date tonight. I know I shouldn’t be pissed, considering I’m going out tonight myself. That’s the only reason I said yes to her having a date. I can’t tell her she’s not allowed when I’m out doing the same thing.

After I cancel my date with Reba, of course, she’s fuming mad, but I don’t care. Sleeping with her would have been a mistake. I know that now, because if she’s like this just because I cancelled the date, how would she be when I would never have her again?

I end up parked in front of the neighbor’s house across the street. I want to see the man Ava is having a date with tonight. Flipping open my laptop that was in my bag in the back seat, I turn on the camera feed so I can hear everything, too.

This feels highly stalkerish.

The headlights of a car coming down the street shine in my face, and I stare. This loser has a shitty car. Why is she interested in him? I watch him get out; he’s tall, scrawny, and is he wearing suspenders? Glasses, too. What the fuck, Ava?

This is the kind of guy she likes?

I turn up the volume on my computer when Ava opens the front door and walks out. “Hey, Robert,” she says, smiling shyly.

“Avalynn,” he says just as shyly back. “You sure this is okay? I know you’re married and all, so this just feels kind of weird,” he admits awkwardly.

“Don’t worry about it. He’s probably off screwing the shrew right about now. We’re just having a date, not a big deal.” I clench my fists. Hearing her say that makes me feel like total shit.

I wait for about an hour before I decide to look into the living room window. What I see pisses me off. Robert’s arm is around Ava’s shoulder, and I don’t fucking like it. I storm around the house and open the front door, which startles Ava.

Her brows scrunch up as she looks at me. “You’re home awfully early,” she states.

I shrug and look to Robert. “Hey, man, what’s up?”

He looks uncomfortable. I walk over and hold out my hand. “I’m Cameron, Ava’s husband.” I stress the word husband, and he pales a little before looking over to Ava.

“Uh, look, Ava, this whole thing is kind of weird. I’m just gonna leave. See you in class on Monday,” he says, bolting toward the front door.

I look over at Ava and see shock all over her face. “What the heck?” She looks back to me. “What was that about?”

I shrug. “Who knows?” I plop down on the couch beside Ava and smile. “Want to order a pizza?”

“Um, sure,” she agrees hesitantly.

“Great. I’ll order. Pick a movie. Something light, maybe romantic,” I tell her. Women love that stuff.

She looks at me in shock. “Wait, you want to eat a greasy pizza, which you hate, and watch chick flicks with me?”

“Yes, and I don’t hate pizza. I just can’t eat it as often as you do without destroying my work outs.” I wink at her.

“Uh, okay then.”

I watch Ava eat while watching the movie. She scrunches her nose up at the romantic stuff that all girls go gaga over. Did I do that to her? Did I ruin romance for her? She is waving her hands around and yelling at the actors. It’s adorable. She catches me smiling and mouths, “What?” at me.

“Nothing, just really enjoying this tonight.”

She smiles. “You big dork.”

There is a bit of sauce on the corner of her mouth, and I want to lick it off. That would probably freak her out, so I settle for wiping it away with my thumb instead.

“Um, thanks,” she says, giving me an awkward glance.

I’ve just realized I’m madly in love with her. I love every little thing about her. I even love how she tucks her feet under mine when they are ice cold. I want to jerk away, but it only eggs her on more. God, I love her. Now, how do I make her realize this?